A basic guide bar adapted for treating stumps is disclosed in commonly owned U.S. Pat. No. 6,397,452. That patent illustrates the provision of conduits that are seated in channels formed in the opposing sides of the bar. It further illustrates the connection of the fluid source to the conduit on the underside of the bar (understanding that either side may be the underside and the bar is typically inverted over time so as to extend the wear life of the bar).
What is not evident from the above patent or prior art is that different tree harvesting machines have different routes for connecting the treatment material source to the guide bar. One route directs the flow of liquid to the top of the bar and the other directs the flow of liquid to the bottom of the bar, both feeding the conduit on the underside of the bar.
As shown in the partial cross-sectional view of a guide bar of FIG. 2, currently, to accommodate both feeding routes, receiving inlets 234, 236 are provided at both sides of bar 222 and penetrate conduit 240. As shown, side 244 is the under side where treatment material will be dispersed through perforations 246 in conduit 240. Plug 230 prevents the treatment material from escaping through near end 232 of conduit 240. Currently, when a bar is purchased, the purchaser must determine which of the inlet 234, 236 is the correct inlet for his or her machine and the opposing side inlet to that conduit needs to then be sealed, otherwise it becomes an outlet for the treatment liquid. Such sealing has been heretofore achieved by providing the bar purchaser with a plug sized to fit inlets 234, 236, which is usually manually inserted in the unused inlet.
Inserting the plug into the inlet is an undesirable, time-consuming and oftentimes awkward task. And, if the plug is improperly inserted or if the plug is dropped, lost or not inserted at all, the user will experience an undesired outflow of treatment material onto the machine and ground. This can render the flow of the treatment material onto the stump surface insufficient, and can also increase costs.
The present invention is directed to the resolution of the above-described problem whereby the insertion of inlet plugs is avoided.